Brooder.



H. W. lVlcCRABBE @L H. F. NORTON.

BROODER.

APPLICATION FILED IIILY 3.19m.

Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

El nvawtow @mM/wacom HOMIE? Wmlm;

ymwlg- @2M QW@ me Nmmrs crews cc.. mwmurlfo.. wAsmNcmN. u. c.

'trarne erna ramener enema@ HUGHBERT W. MCCRABBE AND HIVIER F. NORTON, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

BROOD'ER.

Application filed .Tuly 3, 1915.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, HUGHBERT W. Mo- CRABBE and HOMER F. NORTON, citizens of the United States of America, and residents of the city of Seattle, county of King, and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brooders, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to broeders and comprises certain features of construction which will be hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claim.

The chief object of our invention is to produce a brooder of simple construction, capable of being easily kept in sanitary condition, one which will prevent tendency of the chicks to crowd and pile up and which will insure a constant and ample supply of fresh warm air while at the same time providing means whereby overheating and un-v dercooling is prevented.

In the accompanying drawings are shown the preferred form of construction.

Figure 1 is a top view. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section. Fig. 3 is the same as Fig. 2 except that a different plan for adjusting the exit opening is shown.

llt has been our object in this broeder to so construct the hover chamber that it constitutes an inverted cup or pocket having an exit opening for the air, only at its lowermost part, whereby it will retain, trapped therein, a mass of warmed air, preventing its escape except as it is displaced by the introduction of other air.

It has been our object further, to provide a means for supplying heated air to this hover chamber which substantially eliminates direct radiation of heat in the hover chamber, the heat being supplied solely through convection.

The result of the means employed is the formation and maintenance of a blanket of hot air extending from the top of the hover chamber down to the level of the upper edge of the exit opening, this maintaining a temperature which is the same at the same level all over the area of the chamber, but in whichA there is a lower cooler layer of a depth determined by the level of the upper edge of the exit opening.

The hover chamber l may be of any suit* able shape and construction and is, in principle, an unobstructed chamber. For con- Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5, 19in.

Serial No. 37,884.

venience of access to the interior of this chamber, I have made a section 2, of its top removable, this being held in place by cleats 20 which extend under one edge of the top and a button 21 which secures the opposite edge.

In the construction herein shown the hover chamber has an exit and ventilation opening 3 at one side, this extending from the floor upward, and, as here shown, entirely across one side. It is evident that the length ofthis opening may be increased or diminished, and extended about more than one side if desired. In fact it may be provided on all sides. It is preferred that the eifective height of this opening be varied, by using a movable member therein. In Figs. l and 2, this consists of a plate 4 sliding in guide ways 40 and controlled by a threaded rod 41 which passes through lugs 42 carried by the brooder body and the slide. In Fig. 3 the same result is secured by liinging a board 5 and adjusting its height by a cord 50. rlhe means employed for controlling this opening is immaterial.

As a means of heating, a lamp 6 is shown, the chimney 60 iitting into an extension 61 which passes through the top of the broeder. Surrounding the chimney is a cylindrical drum 7 through which and outside the chimney 60, the air passes and is thereby heated. As a substitute, an electric lamp or resistance coil, hot water, or any other heating agent may be employed.

To prevent or substantially reduce the radiation of heat from this drum into the hover chamber, the drum is given a lining 70 of asbestos or other suitable nonconductor.

1While the lamp and surrounding drum 7 is shown as within the hover chamber, they may be placed at any point desired even without the chamber. Also any other means for heating the air may be employed.

Trial of a broeder of this type demonstrates that the chickens are comfortable at any point in the broeder chamber, and that the temperature of the air in the lower layers occupied by the chickens may be varied by raising or lowering the slide 4 or door 5 by which the exit opening is controlled, without any adjustment of the lamp. In fact, the large area of the exit opening 3 acts as an automatic regulator to compensate for any variation in the intensity of heat supplied. Further, absolutely fresh air is constantly being supplied and the chicks aremaintained in healthy condition.

An important result secured is that wherein the ventilation system is such that overheating and undercooling is automatically prevented without requiring eXact control of the heating means, and in any fact without requiring the movement of any part of the device.

The large area of the exit opening and this being an essential part of the ventilation system, provides an automatic safeguard against overheating and undercooling. Should the heat given off by the heater be more than is necessary, it will produce an accelerated circulation of air through the brooder thereby discharging more heat and distributing the heat units among a greater volume of air7 while with the heat given orf reduced below normal, the circulation is slowed down, requiring less heat units to Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the properly heat the air. These results follow from the excess size of the exit opening and its location at a low level.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States of America, is

A brooder having a hover chamber and an adjoining open top exercising compartment, a passing opening in the bottom part of the wall between said compartments; a door controlling said passing opening said door` being movable to raise and lower its lower edge, the exercising compartment having walls tting closely the ends of said door,

and means for delivering heated air to the -1 upper part of the hover compartment.

Signed at Seattle, Washington this 15th day of June 1915.

HUGHBERT lV. MCCRABBE. HOMER F. NORTON.

"Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, ID. C. 

